“Massachusetts, in the life sciences, has leapfrogged other states in the last six or seven years,” said Barry Bluestone, the director of Northeastern’s Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy and a coauthor of the report.

Massachusetts’ economy grew at a good clip in the first three months of the year, even as economic growth nationally nearly ground to halt, according to state and federal economic reports released Wednesday.

The state’s economy expanded at an annual rate of 2.6 percent between January and March, according to the University of Massachusetts and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The national economy barely grew at all during that period, expanding at a rate of 0.1 percent after growing 2.6 percent at the end of last year, the US Commerce Department reported.

In this Boston Globe piece, Barry Bluestone of Northeastern’s Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy and Thomas Kotchan of MIT’s Sloan School of Management, discuss their current and future work with the Massachusetts Education Partnership, which brings together the state’s two teacher unions, the state associations of school committees and school superintendents, and four education […]

In 2012, the Dukakis Center conducted an evaluation of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative and the associated Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC). The analysis showed the policy has had a significant and positive economic impact on the state’s life sciences sector, and encourages lawmakers to continue to invest in and provide support to these industries. […]

Barry Bluestone was one of four correspondents for the Boston Globe to respond to Governor Patrick’s proposed tax increases. Bluestone argues in favor of the increase along with reform. Download PDF | The Boston Globe

In the wake of President Obama’s 2013 State of the Union address, Barry Bluestone offers a history of the decline the U.S. middle class and commentary on strengthening the middle class moving forward. Download PDF | Boston.com

Barry Bluestone explains that the innovation sector is not the only industry that may be being held back by a skills gap in the labor force. Manufacturing in Massachusetts is growing but may lack a flow of qualified employees with appropriate skills for modern manufacturing. Download PDF | Boston Herald

September 13 – The Dukakis Center released our latest report on the manufacturing sector in Massachusetts. Staying Power II is a follow-up study to our first study on the manufacturing sector conducted back in 2007. As with the first report, what our research found is that the manufacturing sector is more robust and resilient that […]

Barry Bluestone offers a reminder of the importance of government in the everyday lives of Americans, and argues that people should think twice when complaining about the threats of “big government”. Download PDF | Boston.com

Barry Bluestone praises the leadership of the Boston Federal Reserve for the call to action of Washington to implement proactive, aggressive fiscal policy as the economy attempts to rebound from the Great Recession. Download PDF | Boston.com